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Over the past two years the Young Academy of Scotland and partner organisations across Scotland have been running the #AspirationalAdvice campaign on social media.

This campaign asks twitter and Facebook users to share with young people the best piece of advice they got when they were younger or the piece of advice they wish they had received.

This growing bank of advice has helped many to aim high, dream big, lift their aspirations and achieve their hopes and goals. All of the advice has then been photographed and the images shared on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag: #AspirationalAdvice.

The campaign has had contributions from various people from media figures, politicians, academics, sports stars and many different professionals and people living in Scotland and beyond.

Now, as this campaign reaches its final weeks for 2016, the Young Academy will be offering schools the opportunity to choose their favourite pieces of advice and have a chance to win book vouchers provided by the Young Academy of Scotland Excellence in Education Working Group.

YAS Member Neil McLennan yesterday joined Radio Edu talk’s David Noble to host a radio interview with US Consulate Principal Officer Susan Wilson. The show came about as a result of US Ambassador Matthew Barzun taking part in last year’s Young Academy driven #AspirationalAdvice Twitter campaign.

The Twitter campaign, which ran from 1st January to 1st May 2015, engaged people from all aspects of Scottish and international society, and reached over 4,500 individuals. Ambassador Barzun’s advice, “Explore the globe! Study abroad, work abroad, travel abroad!,” made it into the top five most-viewed tweets of the campaign. Others who engaged include writers, sports champions, teachers and well known media figures.

Members of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland (YAS) have just launched a campaign asking everyone in Scotland and across the world to say “Thank You” to inspiring teachers.

At their 2015 Winter Plenary Meeting, YAS members signed a large Christmas card for teachers as well as tweeting out their messages of thanks using the twitter hashtags #thankyou #inspiringteachers. Their interdisciplinary membership reflected on inspiring teachers from all subject areas. It is hoped that “thank you” messages on twitter highlighting inspiring teachers will continue from the last week of school term right through to New Year’s Day.

A significant issue for schools is the recruitment of teachers and in particular STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) teachers. Earlier this year the Education and Lifelong Learning Cabinet Secretary, Angela Constance, started a twitter campaign #inspiringteachers. This campaign encouraged people to remember and share which teachers inspired them whilst raising the profile of the profession.

Since January the Young Academy of Scotland and partner organisations across Scotland have been running an #AspirationalAdvice campaign on social media. This campaign has been asking all Scots to share a piece of advice to young people that will help them aim high, dream big, lift their aspirations and achieve their hopes and goals. These bits of advice have then been photographed and the images shared on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag: #AspirationalAdvice.

Many areas of young people's lives benefit from having high aspirations; education, employability, physical and mental health, citizenship and safer and stronger communities. What advice made you aim high? What advice would you give to raise a young person's aspirations?

Between the 5th of January (the day schools return from holidays) and the 28th of April (the first day of Scottish schools exams) the Young Academy of Scotland are asking all Scots to share a piece of advice to young people that will help them aim high, dream big, lift their aspirations and achieve their hopes and goals. This can be new words of wisdom or the piece of advice which most motivated you. Together, everyone can lift up young people's aspirations and make them happen.